Dynamic process control

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for defining the processing of an ingredient of a manufactured product, particularly one that is manufactured “one-the-spot” to a consumer&#39;s specification, such as ice cream, among other products. A tag encoded on a container for the product carries indicia that, directly or indirectly, define one or more formulations for the product. Apparatus into which the ingredient is loaded sets the processing of ingredients in accordance with the formulations so specified. By connecting the apparatus which is to process the ingredients to a control station, the formulations may be changed at will.

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/359,834 filed Feb. 7, 2003 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,907,741 B2).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to dynamic process control, especially as appliedto on-the-spot manufacture of food products, particularly frozen foodproducts.

2. Background Information

The history of manufacture has been that of a progression fromindividual, local, hand-crafted preparation and construction to massmanufacture and distribution. For most manufactures, the latter mode isgenerally characterized by substantial economic efficiency and thus haslargely replaced the former. In some areas, such as food preparation,individual preparation of an item to be served is still common although,even here, mass manufacture has made headway, and prepackaged foods suchas frozen dinners have eliminated much or most of the individualpreparation. While some food products such as meats, pastas, etc. stillaccommodate individual preparation and flavoring such as by the additionof spices, sauces, and the like, others such as ice cream, yogurt, etc.are supplied in essentially the final flavored form, with littleopportunity to adjust the underlying product itself to a particulartaste.

Many branded food products are distributed to the end user throughchains of restaurants, as well as through individual stands or kiosks,with final preparation done on site. Control of the uniformity of theend products is important, as is the ability to quickly introduce andcontrol changes in the formulation of the product from time to time andeven from place to place. This has been difficult to do on a broadbasis.

In the field of frozen food products such as ice cream, yogurt, and thelike, a significant change in the manufacture and distribution of suchproducts is described in a series of patents issued to the presentapplicant: see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,030 issued Mar. 8, 1994 toPaul Kateman et al. for “Method and Apparatus For Producing andDispensing Aerated Products”. This series of patents describes theon-the-spot production of frozen food products such as ice cream,yogurt, and the like in individual-sized servings of various flavors andwith the option of additional mix-ins such as nuts, candies, etc. Thepresent invention extends the capabilities of such methods and apparatusby enabling the controlled variation of the production process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to enhance thecontrol of on-the-spot product manufacture of various products.

Further, it is an object of the invention to enhance the control ofon-the-spot manufacture of food products.

Still a further object of the invention to enhance the control ofon-the-spot manufacture of frozen food products such as ice cream andthe like.

Yet a further object of the invention is to enable the individualparticularization of the processes of on-the-spot manufacture of variousproducts to one or more of the specific product inputs.

Yet another object of the invention is to facilitate localized andisolated changes in the formulation of products manufacturedon-the-spot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention description below refers to the accompanying drawings, ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of one embodiment of apparatus foron-the-spot manufacture of frozen food products such as ice cream,yogurt and the like;

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of the interior of the apparatus of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example ingredient container encoded forparticularized on-the-spot manufacturing;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show illustrative dynamically adjustable parametersencoded in connection with ingredient containers in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the manner in which the apparatusof FIGS. 1 and 2 is particularized to the specific product inputs;

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative user control panel by which a user mayselect an item to be produced;

FIG. 7 is a block and line diagram illustrating operation of theapparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 to produce an individual serving of a producton the spot; and

FIG. 8 is a block and line diagram of a central control system forcontrolling and dynamically changing the processing of one or moreingredients of a product to be manufactured.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1, apparatus 10 for manufacturing on-the-spot an individualserving of a frozen food product such as ice cream, yogurt or the likecomprises a hinged cabinet 12 having a dispensing station 14 including astand 16 for receiving a cup or other container for a product to bedispensed and a dispenser 18 located above the stand. A dispensingcontrol panel 20 includes a keypad 22 for selecting a product to bemanufactured on-the-spot and dispensed to the consumer, and a display 24for indicating the selections made. For purposes of description, theproduct will be described as ice cream of various flavors and with orwithout mix-ins such as nuts, candies, and the like, although it will beunderstood that a variety of other products are amendable to similarmanufacturing control. The keypad 24 enables the operator to select, forexample, the particular flavor, the amount to be dispensed, and one ormore mix-ins, as specified by a customer for whom an individual-sizedserving is to be prepared.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the apparatus of FIG. 1 is shown with the frontpanel opened to expose the interior thereof. Receptacles 30, 32, 34 areprovided in the apparatus 10 to receive containers of variousingredients from which the final product is to be produced. For example,receptacle 30 a may hold a container of a low-fat neutral base dairy mixfrom which end product ice cream or yogurt is to be produced, whilereceptacle 30 b may hold a container of a higher-fat form of the basemix. Receptacles 32 a, 32 b, 32 c, etc. may hold containers of variousflavorings, such as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, etc. Receptacles 34a, 34 b, 34 c, etc. may hold containers of mix-ins, such as nuts,candies, etc. Preferably, each receptacle carries an indicator tag, suchas tag 36 on receptacle 30 a, that identifies it to the productionprocess, as explained in more detail below.

The receptacles are connected to provide their contents to a formulator40 which mixes the ingredients and otherwise processes them to form theend product in the desired amount, and then dispenses them throughdispensing head 14. An example of an appropriate formulator by means ofwhich the end product may be manufactured and dispensed is described inthe copending patent application of Paul Kateman et al., Ser. No.10/160,674, filed Jul. 31, 2002 entitled “Method and Apparatus ForProducing and Dispensing An Aerated And/Or Blended Food Product” andassigned to the assignee of the present invention; the contents of thatapplication are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example ingredient container for loading into oneof the receptacles of FIG. 2 and encoded for particularized on-the-spotmanufacturing. Container 50 may, for example, be structured to hold aneutral base mix for producing individual servings of ice cream and, forthis purpose, may enclose an inner flexible pouch 52 having a connector54 for feeding its contents to the formulator 40. The latter processesthe various ingredients to produce the finished product which isdispensed to the user. The construction of one such formulator is setforth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/160,674 referred to above.

In accordance with one part of the present invention, the containercarries a tag 56 in a suitable location, preferably the exteriorthereof, which bears, inter alia, information (“process information”)defining the manner in which the contents may be processed. Asillustrated in FIG. 4A, the tag may be encoded with a serial numberidentifying the specific container or a group of particular containers;an ingredient type designator, indicating, for example, that thecontainer contains “base mix, low fat content” or “flavoring, vanilla”;an expiration date, after which the ingredient should not be used; theamount of ingredient (e.g., volume, weight, etc.); a display name forviewing by the operator; and, most importantly, one or more“formulations”, as exemplified in FIG. 4B, defining appropriateprocessing for the ingredient.

The formulations are, of course, specific to the product beingmanufactured and the process by which they are being manufactured.Further, the formulations may specify the physical process conditions(e.g., time, temperature, pressure, etc.) under which the ingredient, orproduct formulated using that ingredient, is to be used, and may alsospecify the proportions of the ingredient to be used with otheringredients. Thus, in the case of ice cream that is manufactured inaccordance with patent application Ser. No. 10/160,674 noted above, asshown in FIG. 4B the formulation associated with a particular ingredientmay define the type and amount of other ingredients that are desirableor permissible for use with the ingredient in question, as well as someor all of the physical processing conditions and the processing steps tobe followed.

For example, a container of a low-fat neutral base mix for ice cream mayspecify the identity and concentration of flavorings that areappropriate or permitted for use with that particular base (e.g.,“Flavoring #1: 0.03 oz/oz”; “Flavoring #2: 0.025 oz/oz”; etc.); the typeand amount of mix-ins (e.g., “Mix-In #1: 0.3 oz/oz”; “Mix-In #2: 0.27oz/oz”, etc.); the length of time during which the ingredients are to besubjected to one or more of the process steps (e.g., “Freezing Duration:90 seconds”; “Aeration Duration: 60 seconds”); and the aeration pressure(e.g., “Aeration Pressure: 20 psi”). Other types of ingredients mayspecify different formulations appropriate to that ingredient. It willbe understood that other parameters may be included in the formulationand that, conversely, one or more of the above parameters may beomitted.

The process information may be encoded on the container tags in avariety of manners, including optically readable strips; magneticallyreadable strips; and electronically readable constructs such as memorysticks and chips containing other active or passive electric orelectronic circuits, to mention just a few. In the embodiment of theinvention described specifically herein, it is encoded in opticallyscannable bar code. The tags may thus simply comprise printed areas onthe container or may comprise labels or even electric circuits affixedto, or otherwise associated with, the container and encoding the desiredinformation therein.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a control panel 60 is mounted on the insideof front panel 12. The control panel 60 includes a keypad 60 a and adisplay panel 60 b. A hand-held scanner 62 is removably mounted on theinside of front panel 12, and is connected to control panel 60 toprovide data input thereto. With the apparatus 10 open as indicated, anoperator charges the apparatus with ingredients by loading containerssuch as container 50 into receptacles such as receptacles 30, 32, 34. Asnoted above, the receptacles are preferably particularized to the typeof ingredient to be loaded, i.e., base mix, flavoring, mix-in, etc. Inthe process of loading an ingredient, the operator scans both the tag 36of the receptacle and the tag 56 of the ingredient container. Scanningthe former identifies to the system controller the specific receptacleinto which the ingredient is being loaded, and thus enables the systemto extract a desired ingredient during product processing. Scanning thelatter identifies to the system the specific ingredient which is beingloaded and enables the system to verify that a given ingredient isloaded into an appropriate receptacle; it also loads into the system theparticular processing parameters and other data either set forth on, orassociated with, the tag 56.

A particular container may be one that is being loaded into theapparatus 10 for the first time or it may be one that has previouslybeen loaded into the apparatus but subsequently removed therefrom, e.g.,for system maintenance. Thus (see FIG. 5) responsive to scanner datainput from a container, the controller reads the containeridentification number (step 70) and examines its process memory todetermine whether the particular container has previously been loadedinto the apparatus (step 72). If it has previously been loaded, thesystem retrieves the volume of the container in its current state (“thecurrent volume”, step 74) and uses this in controlling productionoperations. The “current volume” is the volume calculated during prioruse of the particular container in the apparatus and stored on removingthe container from the apparatus, as described in further detail below.If, on the other hand, the container is being installed for the firsttime, the initial container volume is stored in process memory (step76). This initial volume may be that contained on the container tagitself, or it may be a known value for the particular type of container(e.g., base mix). The expiration date is then stored in process memory(step 78), and a determination is made as to whether a formulation forthe particular ingredient is contained on the tag or is otherwiseprovided in connection with it (step 80). If one or more formulationsare specified, it is retrieved from the scanner input data stream andstored in process memory (step 82). The process is repeated (step 84)for each additional formulation that is input. Conversely, if nospecific formulation associated with the particular container is inputor otherwise is provided, a default formulation for the given ingredientis used (step 86).

Once the data associated with the various ingredient containers isloaded into the system, and the system is brought to operatingtemperature, preparation of a desired end product may proceed. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, dispensing control panel 20 has a number is ofselector buttons 24 a for choosing a desired item (e.g. yogurt, icecream, etc.) and its grade (e.g., low fat, regular, creamy), as well asflavor (e.g., vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, etc.), mix-ins (e.g.,almonds, pistachios, etc.) and amount (e.g., 1 scoop, 2 scoops, etc.),among other variables. Provision may also be made for selecting amongone or more formulations (“R1”, “R2”, “R3”, etc.) for the production.Depressing a “Run” button 24 b starts the manufacturing process.

The display 22 illustrates the product that will be manufactured. Inmost cases this will be as selected by the user, and the panel mayprovide confirmation of this, e.g., the message “OK” may be displayed.In some cases, however, one or more choices of the user may beoverridden, e.g., because they are incompatible with the particularingredients currently loaded into the machine, or with a particularprocess to be used, or because there are insufficient resources(ingredients) to fulfill the request. In such a case, an indication ofrejection of the selected choices may be displayed instead, andpreferably the reasons for the rejection as well.

As schematically illustrated in FIG. 7, the process actually used tomanufacture a selected item is preferably controlled by three distinctinputs, namely, user inputs from the control panel 24, which specify,e.g., the nature of the desired product (“e.g., low fat vanilla”); theamount to be manufactured (e.g., “2 scoops”) and desired mix-ins (“e.g.,“nuts”); and unique control inputs associated with the ingredientcontainers 50; and overall system inputs. A controller 100 receivesthese inputs from the respective sources, e.g., the control panel 24 inthe case of user inputs; the containers 50 in the case of specificingredient control inputs; and a system memory 102 which contains themanufacturing and control program and associated data. In particular,process control inputs with respect to the ingredients are receiveddirectly from the containers for these ingredients, thereby eliminatingthe chance for human error or malfeasance in setting the manufacturingprocess. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, memory 102 isimplemented in the form of a hard disk, but obviously may take orinclude other forms such as ROM, flashware, firmware, wired-incircuitry, etc. Further, it will be understood that the memory 102 neednot be a single memory but may advantageously be distributed among anumber of memories of various to control the overall manufacturingprocess.

Responsive to these inputs, the controller 100 establishes within themachine the settings that will be used to produce the specific endproduct requested by the user, and the specific “recipe” by which itwill be produced, thereby particularizing the machine for thisparticular product in this specific instance, but subject to overallconstraints that may be imposed by the system memory and control. Thecontroller is advantageously a general purpose digital computer whichexecutes the program stored in memory 102 responsive to the user inputsand to the ingredient control inputs to set the appropriatedtemperatures, pressures and other processing conditions of theoperation. It will be understood, of course, that special-purposecomputers or other forms of controllers may be used as well.

It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the tag may,in fact, be physically dissociated from the ingredients whose processingis to be controlled, as long as the tag information is tracked in somemanner to the product. For example, the tag may in fact be shipped tothe processing point with the container, but physically separate fromit. Further, the tag or the information on it may be shipped orotherwise transmitted entirely separate from the container, as long asthere is some indicia or other mechanism on the tag and the containerthat associates the two. Preferably, however, the tag is encodeddirectly on the container as described in the preferred embodiment ofthe invention detailed herein.

In connection with the production (step 106) of a given product, it isdesirable that statistics be kept (step 107) of the specific productmanufactured, e.g., “low fat vanilla with nut mix-ins”, the quantity,the specific ingredients used (identified e.g., by serial number oftheir containers), and the amount of such ingredients used, among otheritems. These statistics not only enable the local operator to determinewhen a particular ingredient is running low and may need replenishment,but also enable broader control and coordination of the distributionprocess. To this end, some or all of the manufacturing of a particularmachine may be transmitted to another location (step 108) for a varietyof purposes, including billing, test marketing, etc. The transmissionmay be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, they may beaccumulated and transmitted at periodic intervals by paper records, byrecording on disk or tape, by transmission over wired or wirelesscommunication channels or the like. Further, they may be made availableto interrogation by an authorized source, either remotely or locally.

The benefits to this approach to manufacturing are many. To begin with,it facilitates integration into an ordered network of manufacturingstations or machines that may be distributed over a wide range oflocations and operators. Within this network, it enables the distributorto vary process parameters on an individual, regional, or system-widebasis without changing the fundamental structure of the manufacturingapparatus and without requiring local labor to modify the apparatus inany way. For example, the distributor may determine that the tastes ofconsumers in a particular region of the country is for a more heavilyflavored, sweeter ice cream than that prevailing in other regions.Rather than formulate flavorings of higher concentration and sweetnessespecially for those particular regions, and use local labor to makenecessary alterations in the manufacturing process to accommodate them,the distributor need merely modify the coding on the flavoringcontainers to reflect a formulation that uses a greater amount of theflavoring per unit volume or mass of ice cream that is processed for aserving.

Similarly, the distributor or others may easily and inexpensively testmarket differing formulations in one or more regions or at one or morelocations within a region in the same manner. Since no change in theunderlying ingredients need be made, only changes in the formulationassociated with those ingredients, no special inventory is required, andthe speed of implementation can be greatly enhanced while the costs aresimultaneously reduced. Further, since the local operators of theapparatus need not even be aware of the change in formulations, the testcan truly be conducted “blind”, and thus a more reliable assessment madeas to the reception of the new “products”, i.e. new formulations. Ofcourse, fundamental changes in the nature of the ingredients themselvesmay also be made and readily fitted into the manufacturing process bychanging the formulations to accommodate the modified or new ingredientsand/or by changing one or more steps in the process.

Embedding “formulations” and other data defining some or all of themanufacturing process on a tag of a container for one or moreingredients of the process has the advantage of creating a direct andimmediate association between the specific ingredient and the machine inwhich it is to be processed. The person operating or servicing themachine need take no special steps to change or control themanufacturing process other than to scan the container label on loadingit into the machine. In the preferred embodiment described herein, thedata that is included on the tag is preferably extensive, and mayinclude, for example, one or more specifications of ingredients, amountsand concentrations of products to be used in the manufacturing process,as well as process parameters such as processing time, temperature, etc.An alternative approach merely embeds the serial number of the containeron the tag carried on it. This serial number is keyed to a separatemaster formulation listing that is also provided to the local machineoperator. The master may be provided to the operator in the form of adisk, a ROM, or other means of conveniently conveying information. Thisinformation is loaded into the local machine and thereafter used inprocessing the particular unit of ingredient associated with the givenserial number. The disadvantage of this approach, however, is that itrequires additional, even if minimal, intervention by the operator.

An alternative which requires no such intervention is shown in FIG. 8.As shown, a plurality of machines 110 a, 110 b, 110 c which are toprepare products on site to user taste are located remote from a controlcenter or station 112. The control center may be a plant at whichingredients for processing in the machines are made or packaged; may bea distribution center; or may simply be a control center independent ofmanufacturing and distributing operations. It is connected forcommunication with the various manufacturing machines 110 through acommunications link which may be wired or wireless; one such mode ofcommunication is through a network 114, such as the internet, asillustrated schematically in FIG. 8. Containers 116 a, 116 b, 116 c,etc. are shipped to the machines 110 for processing therein. Thecontainers each carry a tag or label 118 a, 118 b, 118 c, respectively,that identifies each one. For example, the label may simply be a serialnumber, e.g., “11435886” or other identifier by which the container maybe designated. The serial number or other identifier may be unique tothat particular container; or may be common to two or more containers.

The control center 112 maintains a database 120 that associates eachserial number 120 a with a particular set of parameters or “formulation”120 b that defines at least in part the processing for ingredientsassociated with that serial number. Preferably, it also contains arecord of the locations to which the item bearing that serial number hadbeen shipped. At various times, the control source 112 transmits to themachines 110 information from the database 120 that relates the serialnumber 120 a of a unit or units of ingredient with the formulation orprocess parameters 120 b for that unit or units. That information isstored in the machine for use in processing the particular unit bearingthe particular serial number. When the control source maintains a recordof the location to which a particular unit of ingredient has beenshipped, the information as to that unit of ingredient need only betransmitted to the particular machine to which the unit has beenshipped. Otherwise, the information may be shipped to all machines or atleast to all machines which may have received a unit of ingredientcovered by the information. Preferably, the time and circumstances ofthe information transmission is controlled by the source so that thelocal operator need not be involved. Of course, provision may also bemade for receiving user responses to the product being tested. Theseresponses may be entered directly on the machine itself or on a separatedata entry tablet. In either case, they may be transmitted directly tothe control center at the time of entry or at a later time.

An advantage to this embodiment of the invention is that the“formulation” for processing the ingredient may be changed at will fromthe control source and with very little effort, simply by changing theappropriate items in the database and transmitting an updated record tothe manufacturing site. Further, it may be changed with respect to oneto or more containers over the period of use of the container, i.e.while that container is at its end location and available for use,either while loaded in the machine which is to process it or whilesimply available from storage.

Thus, it is possible that the processing of a single container ofingredient in a single machine may be established and changed at willand quite simply and economically is during the course of its use inorder to satisfy such developments as improved formulations, changingseasons, desired market studies, etc. This can readily be done withoutlocal intervention or even knowledge, thus allowing tight control of themanufacturing and distribution process.

Information may also, of course, be transmitted in the reversedirection, i.e., from the local machines to the central control. Thus,an inventory of the volume of various ingredients in one or moremachines, the amount and composition of product that has beenmanufactured and dispensed in the machines, the aging of theingredients, and other information concerning the ingredients or themachines in which they are located may be transmitted to the centralcontrol. The resultant data may be used for inventory control, forbilling, for quality control, for testing, and for other purposes.

An alternative to a central control station may also be used, e.g., aportable data exchange system which is brought to or near the site ofthe various production apparatus. This approach may be useful, or evennecessary, where, for one reason or another, it is not feasible toconnect the production apparatus to a network of one form or another.However, the portable system itself should ultimately transmit collecteddata, or portions thereof, to a central control and desirably mayreceive data from central control.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have described a method andapparatus for selectively controlling the manufacture of an individualitem. The method and apparatus enable great flexibility in defining themanufacturing steps, physical processing parameters (e.g., temperature,pressure, etc.), ingredients, and ingredient ratios, among othercharacteristics, while allowing tight control of the operations from acentral source if desired. By providing for direct reading of acontainer without requiring human entry of information as to thecontainer, its contents, or its processing, the present invention notonly insures against human error in data entry, but also providessecurity against unauthorized changes in the information which is tocontrol the manufacturing process.

The method and apparatus are applicable to a variety of products, butare particularly well suited to the controlled production of productswhich are manufactured on-the-spot at least partially to individualtaste or specification. It will be understood that the term“manufacturing” is used herein in the broadest sense, and includesprocessing, compounding, mixing or otherwise operating on and withingredients of all types, solid, liquid, or gaseous, to transform themfrom their original state. Thus, it may also advantageously be appliedto such other varied processes as mixing various shades of paint toachieve a specific shade, compounding prescriptions for a particularpatient, compounding cosmetics, and other such applications.

1. Apparatus for controlling the processing of a product, said apparatuscomprising a plurality of containers containing various ingredients,wherein at least one of the containers contains an ingredient distinctfrom another ingredient in at least one of the other containers; a tagassociated with each container, each tag including indicia that includesan identification of the ingredient in the associated container; aformulator; delivery means configured to selectively deliver theingredients in the plurality of containers to the formulator; aselection device for selecting from among a plurality of products thatcan be manufactured from the ingredients in said plurality ofcontainers, wherein the selection device includes an input mechanismthat can be activated by a user to select from the ingredients and toproduce a selection signal corresponding to the selected ingredients; acontroller including memory storing a process control program thatincludes instructions that cause the controller, in response to theselection signal and in response to the indicia in the tags of the oneor more selected ingredient container, to control the delivery means todeliver from selected ones of the plurality of containers to theformulator the ingredients necessary to produce the selected product andto control the formulator in accordance with the process control programand the tag indicia on at least one of the selected ingredientcontainers to cause the formulator to produce the selected product. 2.Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said processing comprises a foodmanufacturing process.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which saidprocessing comprises a process for manufacturing a frozen food productessentially contemporaneously with the request for such serving by theuser.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 which includes a communicationslink to a control station for exchanging with said station informationspecific to the ingredient in each of said plurality of containers. 5.Apparatus according to claim 4 in which said communications linkincludes a communications network.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 inwhich said network comprises the internet.
 7. Apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the input mechanism enables the selection ofingredients via user activation by enabling the user to select fromamong the plurality of products.
 8. A method for automatically producinga customized food product with a machine in response to a user inputprovided to the machine, the method comprising: loading a machine with aplurality of containers, each containing a respective ingredient,wherein a respective tag is associated with each container, each tagincluding indicia identifying the ingredient in the associatedcontainer; reading with the machine the tags to identify the ingredientsto the machine; receiving input from a user at the machine, wherein theuser selects one or more ingredients for a desired product; in responseto the user input, delivering with the machine to a formulator disposedwithin the machine the selected ingredients from the containersassociated with the tags that have indicia identifying the selectedingredients; within the formulator, combining the one or more selectedingredients; manufacturing with at least the formulator the desiredproduct from the one or more selected ingredients; and delivering withthe machine the desired product to the user at the machine.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the desired product includes a frozen foodproduct.